Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 261 (LINC00261)

Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 261 (LINC00261) is a long non-coding RNA molecule implicated as a tumor suppressor in a wide spectrum of human cancers, including pancreatic, gastric, colorectal, lung, hepatocellular, breast, and others. It is generally downregulated in tumors, with lower expression correlating to poor prognosis and more aggressive cancer features. LINC00261 regulates cancer biology by suppressing cell proliferation, invasion, migration, EMT, and chemoresistance, and can interact with various signaling pathways (such as Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, TGF-β, c-Myc, and multiple miRNAs), frequently acting as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) or by influencing chromatin modifications via interaction with epigenetic regulators. Its therapeutic potential is being explored as both a prognostic biomarker and a molecular target, particularly through modulation of its expression or reversing its promoter methylation. Emerging research also suggests a role in pancreatic endocrine cell differentiation, indicating broader functions beyond oncology. No classical small-molecule drugs are known to directly target LINC00261.

Other names

bA216C10.1HCCDR1TCONS_00027846ALIENDEANR1onco-lncRNA-17FALCORLCAL62hepatocellular carcinoma down-regulated RNA 1definitive endoderm-associated long non-coding RNA 1FOXA2-adjacent long noncoding RNAC20orf56NCRNA00261

Not applicable for direct drug targeting (no known interacting drugs); acts via modulation of gene transcription, miRNA sponging, and epigenetic regulation in cancer processes